autogeekonline car wax, car care and auto detailing forum Autogeek on TV
car wax, car care and auto detailing forumAutogeekonline autogeekonline car wax, car care and auto detailing forum HomeForumBlogAutogeek.net StoreDetailing Classes with Mike PhillipsGalleryDetailing How To's
 
Results 1 to 10 of 10
  1. #1
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    77
    Post Thanks / Like

    2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    In June of 2016, about 2 weeks after I picked up my 2016 Subaru WRX Limited, I did a New Car Prep/Optimum Gloss Coat Application.

    Here is a link to my thread:

    2016 WRX Limited ISM New Car Prep and Optimum Gloss Coated!

    After about 1.5 years, and 20k miles of Daily Driving, it was time to go through a full detail again, and re-apply Gloss Coat.

    For the most part, the Original application of Gloss Coat held up pretty well. My Hood, Roof, Trunk and Front Fenders still retained the beading properties, however the lower Sides and Rear had completely lost their beading properties. Pretty much any part of the car that gets hit with Road Spray had lost its beading properties. I can’t remember when exactly it happened, but it was sometime after the initial winter/rainy season. I had tried several things to restore the beading, but ultimately, nothing restored them:

    -Several Washes with Carpro Reset (Had been using CG Mr Pink initially)
    -Cleaned with OPC @ 1:3
    -Optimum Ferrex, Carpro Ironx & Tarx
    -Medium Clay
    -Optimum Paint Prep
    -Carpro Water Spot Remover & Optimum MDR

    I was never able to determine if just the properties of the coating were gone, or if the coating was completely gone. The paint in those areas did still seem protected though. I am not sure if the problem was an issue with my prep/application, or if it stopped beading from normal use/road spray. It does seem to be a common issue with Ceramic Coatings, where the lower side and rear panels stop beading after winter time, and I am interested in finding out why.
    This time around, I am hoping the entire car will retain its coating properties for atleast 1 – 1.5 years.
    Here are the details on my prep/application:

    1. I did a light engine bay cleaning with a garden hose and OPC 1:3.

    2. Removed all 4 wheels, and cleaned the Fronts and backs of the wheels and tires with OPC 1:3. I also cleaned the wheel wells, Shocks & Calipers with OPC 1:3 and some brushes.

    3. Did a Carpro Reset wash of the entire car. On the Side and Rear panels, that see the most road spray, I sprayed the panels first with OPC 1:3 let it dwell for a few min, then washed those areas.

    4. I used Optimum’s Ferrex on all painted surfaces, to make sure all iron particles were removed. I sprayed a section at a time, waited 2 min, then agitated it with a yellow foam sponge, let it set another min, then rinsed well. Surprisingly, I didn’t see much purple bleeding, so there must have not been much iron on my paint.

    5. I then followed it up with another Carpro Reset wash, to ensure I got any dirt/grime I may have missed, and to make sure none of the Ferrex remained on my paint. (Probably not necessary but I rather be safe)

    6. I clayed the car with a Medium Grade Nanoskin Synthetic Clay Bar, using ONR at 1:64 as a Clay Lube

    7. My paint was in pretty good condition still, so for most of the car I polished using my PC 7424, an Orange LC CCS Foam Pad, and Optimum Hyper Polish. This was for minor correction, and to remove the first Gloss Coat application. For some of the areas that needed more correction (light scratches) I used either an Orange or Yellow LC CCS Foam Pad, and Menzerna PO 91E, followed up with Hyper Polish on a LC White CCS foam pad. I removed the polish residue using microfiber rags that were soaking in ONR at 1:256. I rung them out, and removed the residue with one light wipe, then followed it up with a dry microfiber to remove the ONR. This process works really well!

    8. I then used Optimum Paint Prep to make sure the surface was ready for the coating.

    9. I applied the first Coat of Gloss Coat using the included Blue Sponge Applicator. Because my car is silver, and my lighting isn’t the best, I can’t see the coating going on, and it is very difficult to see it flashing. I use a slightly different application process then most, which wastes product, but to me that isn’t an issue since I believe it insures coverage. I basically do a heavy application of the coating to the sponge, and add more product to the sponge in more frequent intervals. I waited about 3-5min for the section to flash (My garage temp was 40-50*F), then wiped the entire section lightly with a microfiber, to ensure there were no high spots. I have to apply it that way because I am basically applying it blind.

    10. The next day, I used the same process to apply a 2nd coat of Gloss Coat over the entire car.

    11. About 1.5 days after I finished that 2nd coat of GC, I had to start driving my car to work again. I knew the weather would be rainy, and the week I had off to do this detail, it had snowed so I knew there would be a lot of gravel, Mag Chloride and Salt on the roads (Yay Portland Or now uses salt on the roads, thanks ODOT and PBOT!) I want to wait 2-3 weeks before the first wash, to ensure the GC fully cures properly, so I applied a sacrificial coat of Opti-Seal to protect the Gloss Coat during this time.

    So far, everything is looking good. I believe I got complete coverage of GC. I didn’t get any high spots, and the brief rain it has seen, the water seems to bead properly. The true test/confirmation will be with my first wash, to see how the water reacts. I will post a follow up post to update how it goes, and try to get a water beading/sheeting video.

    On a side note, I will never get a silver car again! I chose silver, because it is low-key, and doesn’t draw a lot of attention. Also, I figured as a Daily Driver, that I only have time to wash every other week, it would appear to be clean longer then any other color. What really sucks about this color is that is very hard to see any kind of defects in the paint. They can only be seen in very specific lighting, and even then only at certain angles. This sucks when it comes to correcting, because it is very easy to miss defects, and hard to tell if you have removed them. It also makes you have to apply coatings “Blind” since you can’t see the coating going on or flashing. Also, no matter what you do, it will only just look OK, and never have the depth that any other color will have. You won’t see the defects, but you will know they are there, which I don’t like.










  2. #2
    Super Member The Guz's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2013
    Location
    LA, CA
    Posts
    8,719
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Looks great. You may want to consider getting hyper seal from the optimum maintenance line and use that over opti-seal seeing as hyper seal has a little SiO2 and was designed to be used on optimum coatings.

  3. Likes Cruzscarwash liked this post
  4. #3
    Super Member
    Join Date
    Sep 2017
    Location
    Sweden
    Posts
    3,022
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Nice work and write up!

    Completly understand when applying coating and sealants WOWA it's like you say working blinded. I try to have different marks to split the panels in to have something to go on. That's one of the reasons I went with Polish Angel esclate lotion primer and Master Sealant to apply this spring. Hope that it's a little more visible to apply.

    You got a deep gloss I think. Seems like GC suits silver cars great.

  5. #4
    Super Member Dan K's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2012
    Location
    NW OHIO
    Posts
    420
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Looks great. I disagree with your opinion on silver however. I don’t care if my paint has defects if they are that difficult to see. My previous car was silver and I am wanting to go that route again. Yes it is harder to apply coatings and such, but a great color for a daily driver that I wont have to obsess over every defect in the paint imo.

  6. Likes oneheadlite, Klasse Act, Sicoupe liked this post
  7. #5
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    77
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Thanks everyone for likes and replies!

    I do want to say, that after using Hyper Polish, I really don't want to use any other brand/type of polish. I was skeptical at first because it is in a spray bottle, but after reading why, and using it, I am a believer! It is super easy to get the right amount of product on the pad, with good coverage. It also has no dusting, and the residue is super easy to remove. I originally bought it because I wanted to use a polish compatible with Gloss Coat, and that is less likely to leave anything behind. Now I think I will be shelving my Menzerna polishes, and getting Hyper Compound and Intensive Polish for the next go around.

    When I had to use Menzerna P0 91E for the spots that needed more correction, that stuff dusted everywhere, and I got powder chunks all over the place and in the cracks/crevices. I had none of this with my Hyper Polish. Also, after polishing 2 cars with it, I still have 3/4ths of the bottle left.

    It is going to be hard waiting 2-3 weeks for the first wash though. After 3 days of driving over roads that have had dirty gravel dumped all over them, from the snow storm, parts of the car are looking pretty nasty!

    Quote Originally Posted by The Guz View Post
    Looks great. You may want to consider getting hyper seal from the optimum maintenance line and use that over opti-seal seeing as hyper seal has a little SiO2 and was designed to be used on optimum coatings.
    Thanks! I hadn't heard of Hyper Seal, or the Optimum Maintenance Line last week when I just ordered an 8oz bottle of Opti-Seal

    I did a little googling and saw some stuff on Hyper Seal and M-Wash, which look interesting, but I can only find them on the Australian website? Are they available in the US yet? I don't see either on Optimum's US Site.

    I do have to say, I was impressed on how easy Opti-Seal was to apply, and all I care about is it doing it's initial job of short-term protection, while the GC cures.

    Quote Originally Posted by SWETM View Post
    Nice work and write up!

    Completly understand when applying coating and sealants WOWA it's like you say working blinded. I try to have different marks to split the panels in to have something to go on. That's one of the reasons I went with Polish Angel esclate lotion primer and Master Sealant to apply this spring. Hope that it's a little more visible to apply.

    You got a deep gloss I think. Seems like GC suits silver cars great.
    Thanks for the compliment! I was only able to take some quick phone pics, they really don't do the car justice!

  8. Likes SWETM liked this post
  9. #6
    Super Member oneheadlite's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2015
    Location
    Andover, MN
    Posts
    1,715
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    First off - Thanks for the follow up and such a well done write up! Definitely nice to read about how things panned out in the long run. (Guz - Thanks for your Gloss Coat follow up as well). I've got a tube of Gloss Coat waiting to go on, I'm just trying to decide which car to use it on.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan K View Post
    Looks great. I disagree with your opinion on silver however. I don’t care if my paint has defects if they are that difficult to see. My previous car was silver and I am wanting to go that route again. Yes it is harder to apply coatings and such, but a great color for a daily driver that I wont have to obsess over every defect in the paint imo.
    While not having a silver car myself, I would definitely side with your logic. If you have to work that hard to see the defects, might as well leave the clear on the car and save it for the inevitable marks you can see. I know deep down you still know they're there, but...

    Quote Originally Posted by Whiplash Willy View Post
    Thanks! I hadn't heard of Hyper Seal, or the Optimum Maintenance Line last week when I just ordered an 8oz bottle of Opti-Seal

    I did a little googling and saw some stuff on Hyper Seal and M-Wash, which look interesting, but I can only find them on the Australian website? Are they available in the US yet? I don't see either on Optimum's US Site.
    Same thing happened to me - They released the new line within a week or two of me buying a new bottle of OptiSeal (with a partial still on the shelf).

    Hopefully this is kosher, but their new stuff is on the Opti-coat site (Not Optimum car care) under Opti-Coat maintenance.

  10. #7
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    77
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Cool, I see it now.

    It has been raining all day today, so I snapped a few quick pics of the water beading. Also, when driving on the freeway this morning, pretty much every spec of water was removed from the car from the wind resistance! The hydrophobic properties of these coatings are the best!




  11. Likes Sicoupe, SWETM, jknudsen27 liked this post
  12. #8
    Super Member Klasse Act's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Palatine Illinois, USA
    Posts
    24,430
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    Another option after a while or say before winter is to apply the spray on, wash off coatings that are so popular now, especially on those side panels. Car looks great BTW, silver is very nice on a DD for sure!!
    2022 Elantra N Cyber Gray
    Some say..."He likes Swedish fish because they're made with caranuba wax"

  13. #9
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    77
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    So it has been a little over 2 weeks of DDing after finishing my Detail/Coating. I have been holding off on doing a normal/complete wash until after the 3rd week. I ended up doing a light ONR wash after the first week, because of the rain and grime from all of the gravel/sand ODOT and PBOT has put down, that I couldn't handle not removing.

    I took a few quick pics of the car today when filling up, it has been raining all day, so I got some good pics of the beading/sheeting, which I am pretty happy with. Finally, my lower sides and rear bead again!







  14. Likes The Guz, SWETM, oneheadlite liked this post
  15. #10
    Junior Member
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Posts
    77
    Post Thanks / Like

    Re: 2016 WRX Gloss Coat Round 2 (1.5 Years Later)

    I wanted to give an update on my results. I did the first real wash on my coating this weekend. This is the 3rd week after I applied my coating. I needed to give it enough time for it to completely be cured before I did my first wash. This was the true test to confirm I had applied my coating properly.

    Thankfully, everything looked great. The water sheeting and beading was great in all areas!

    Here are a couple of videos that show the water beading/sheeting action:

    YouTube

    YouTube

    Here are a couple of pics of the beading as well:








Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 4
    Last Post: 04-02-2017, 04:20 AM
  2. Replies: 16
    Last Post: 09-02-2016, 11:07 AM
  3. 2016 vw r32 & optimum gloss coat
    By tdekany in forum Show N' Shine
    Replies: 33
    Last Post: 01-04-2016, 12:09 PM
  4. 2007 Solstice: 4 years later for round 2
    By richy in forum Show N' Shine
    Replies: 20
    Last Post: 10-19-2015, 10:14 AM
  5. 2 years with Opti-coat - not very happy
    By sicklyscott in forum Ask your detailing questions!
    Replies: 55
    Last Post: 06-25-2015, 10:08 PM

Members who have read this thread: 0

There are no members to list at the moment.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

» March 2024

S M T W T F S
2526272829 1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31 123456